GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. — As COVID cases continue to rise, some local schools are preparing to address the need to rapidly test students and teachers and prepare for the possibility of falling into a micro-cluster zone.
Right now, Grand Island is not being looked at a possible micro-cluster zone, but Grand Island schools are prepping just in case.
"We’re at the beginning stages of developing our plans in the event that we’re yellow, orange or red," said Brian Graham, the Grand Island Schools superintendent.
According to the state’s micro-cluster metrics, yellow would mean mandatory 20 percent weekly testing of students, staff and faculty.
Orange or red, that would result in fully remote learning.
"So, there’s a lot of logistics and a lot of planning that goes into how does a school district partner with an entity like the Department of Health to facilitate a testing plan that could result in would result in 20 percent of the students and staff being tested weekly," Graham said.
Just north of Grand Island, in Niagara Falls, district superintendent Mark Laurrie says they have been granted a testing license by the state Department of Health so that district personnel can rapidly test students and staff on-site.
"We hope we don’t have to use it much, but if we do, it’s the best tool that we have in our arsenal to get good information, protect kids and keep education going," Laurrie said.
Laurrie says the license goes into effect later this month, and he’s hoping to get the program up and running around December 1. He also says Niagara Falls is the first school district in Western New York to obtain a testing license.
"Our school medical director is finishing up her certification and training. She will then training our school nurses in how to administer, interpret and report," Laurrie said.
Graham says that eventually, he would like to see daily and weekly positivity rates broken down by zip code released by local and state health departments, as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to rise.
